SAFM Interview: NGOs are getting zero-rated; mobile operators need to speed up

On SAFM this week, DGMT’s Innovation Director, Dr Busisiwe Kabane-Bailey, welcomed Rain’s decision to zero-rate the digital content of 23 public benefit organisations, and urged other mobile network operators to accelerate implementation in line with their licence obligations. She highlighted DGMT’s Social Innovation Register, which streamlines applications to ICASA, and explained why timely rollout matters: every delay limits children’s access to stories and early learning (e.g. Nal’ibali) and constrains ECD practitioners using tools like ECD Connect. Dr Kabane-Bailey’s message was clear: zero-rating is not just a compliance exercise; it’s a practical lever to expand learning, earning and caregiving opportunities for low-income families, and it needs to happen faster across all networks.